ABSTRACT

The comparative assessment of modern and traditional method of

beekeeping was carried out in Ikwuano local government in Abia

state. The aim of the study was to compare the cost and return of

honey produced by the two groups that are involved in honey

production (modern beekeepers and traditional honey hunters). A

simple random sampling was used to select thirty bee honey hunters

and beekeepers from Ikwuano local government. Information was

gather from the respondents through a structural questionnaire.

From the findings of the study it was revealed that modern

beekeepers generates higher production cost of N5.788,33 against

N1600 ( mean values) of the traditional beekeepers. Modern

beekeepers generates more income and profit ( N53,333,47,344,67)

than the traditional bee honey hunter Beekeeping is practiced all over the world, 

it is the maintenance of honey

bee commonly in hive by human. A colony is made up of three caste

workers, the queen and drones. A beekeeper or Apiarist keeps bees in

order to collect honey and other bee products such as beeswax, propolis,

pollen and royal jelly.

There are two categories of bee farmers in Nigeria, the modern bee

keepers and the traditional honey bee hunters (Anyaegbulem, 2008).

Modern beekeepers are organized bee keepers that uses scientific and

improved method of beekeeping in which hive are constructed for the bees

to inhabit and produce honey and other bee products.

This method involves the use of movable comb hive ranging from top-bar

hive to frame hive. On the other hand the traditional bee farmers (Honey.

hunters) harvest the honey by cuWng down and burning the whole or part

of the tree where the honey is produced. This often results to the physical

destruction of the nest location. The honey produced through traditional

bee keeping method is of low quality when compared to honey produced

through modern beekeeping method and this affects the curative and

nutritional quality of honey (Akachukwu, 2001). The liquid honey from, the

destroyed brood was. crudely strained through a sieve or basket, this was

destructive but for traditional honey hunters this does not matter since

there are always wild colonies to exploit.